German Police Clash with Far-Right Protesters

(AFP) German riot police Sunday clashed with far-right hooligans who rallied against Islamist extremism, with authorities using water cannons and tear gas against the rock-throwing protesters.

At least 2,500 hardline football fans from across Germany had amassed under the banner “Hooligans against Salafists” in the western city of Cologne, drawing some 500 leftist and anti-fascist counter protesters.

Police in helmets and riot gear used batons, pepper spray and water cannons against the right-wing protesters who hurled rocks, bottles and fireworks at them.

Earlier this month, Kurds in Germany clashed with radical Muslims in the northern city of Hamburg and elsewhere in street clashes fuelled by the conflict involving the jihadist group Islamic State in northern Iraq and Syria.